The Moon

Moons
A moon is a rocky or icy satellite that goes around a planet. In our Solar System, there are
lots of moons going around planets, such as Mars and Jupiter. However, when we talk about
‘the Moon’, we usually mean Earth’s own Moon that we see at night.

Earth’s Moon
The Moon is about one-quarter of the size of Earth and is over 238,855 miles away from
us. Unlike Earth, the Moon has very little air. This means that it gets really hot during
the day and extremely cold at night. The Moon’s surface has lots of craters, flat areas,
mountains and valleys. These have been made by things, such as large rocks, crashing
into it and by volcanoes erupting in the past.

The Moon’s Path Around Earth

The Moon moves around Earth in a
squashed oval path called an ellipse.
It takes about 27 days for the Moon
to finish one whole trip around
Earth. This is called a lunar month.
As the Moon is moving around
Earth, it also spins on its own axis
but we always see the same side of
the Moon because it takes the same
amount of time to spin as it
does to go around Earth.

The Phases of the Moon

The different shapes the Moon appears in are called phases. These phases Gibbous

change every night. The Moon doesn’t have its own light. It shines because
it reflects the Sun’s rays back at us. The Sun always lights up half of the Gibbous

Moon but we can only see certain parts of that half from Earth.

There are eight major phases of the Moon, which are the new moon, waxing crescent, first
quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent.
During a new moon, the side of the Moon facing Earth is dark. As the days go by,
more and more of the lit-up part becomes visible until we can see the whole full moon.
After that, the part we can see gets smaller until we have a new moon again.

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 The Moon

How the Moon Affects the Sea

The Moon’s gravity affects the sea and causes the tides. The Moon’s pull is strongest on the
side of Earth facing it so it pulls the water towards it and creates a high tide there while
other parts experience low tide.

The Moon’s Surface

The Moon’s surface is different from Earth’s. It is covered in a layer of fine
dust. There are also lots of craters that were made by big rocks crashing into it.
You can also find mountains and valleys on the surface of the Moon.
The highest mountain on the Moon is called Mons Huygens and the deepest
valley is called the South Pole–Aitken Basin, which is also the largest impact
crater confirmed in our Solar System.

Humans on the Moon

On 20th July 1969, the first people went to the
Moon during a mission called Apollo 11. Two
American astronauts named Neil Armstrong and
Buzz Aldrin were the first to walk on the Moon.
There have been five more successful trips to
the Moon, with the last one in 1972.

Quick Facts
• Average day temperature: 107°C

• Average night temperature: -153°C

• Average distance from the Earth: 238,855 miles

• Diameter: Approximately 2159 miles

• Length of day: Approximately 709 hours

Glossary
axis: An imaginary line through the centre of something.
craters: A large hole in the ground caused by an impact or explosion.
lunar: To do with the Moon.
satellite: An object that orbits a larger object in space, such as a planet.
tides: A regular rise and fall in the level of the sea.

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 The Moon

Questions
1. Number the phases of the Moon from 1-4 in the order they happen. The first one has been
done for you.

waxing gibbous

1 new moon

first quarter

waxing crescent

2. Draw four lines to match the sub-heading to the fact that appears within that section of
the text.

There is very little air on the Moon.

Moons

Earth's Moon Jupiter has moons.

The Moon's Surface The last Moon landing was in 1972.

Humans on the Moon

The biggest mountain on the Moon is
called Mons Huygens.

3. What was the name of the first person to walk on the Moon?

4. Read the section entitled The Moon's Path Around Earth. Find and copy the word that is
closest in meaning to ‘flattened’.

5. Fill in the missing words.

The different shapes the Moon appears in are called . These phases
change every night. The Moon doesn't have its own .

6. How is the Moon different to Earth? Give two examples.

•

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7. Which section of the text do you think is the most important? Give reasons for your
answer.

8. How would you have felt if you were the first person to walk on the Moon? Give reasons for
your answer.

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Answers
1. Number the phases of the Moon from 1-4 in the order they happen. The first one has been
done for you.

4 waxing gibbous

1 new moon

3 first quarter

2 waxing crescent

2. Draw four lines to match the sub-heading to the fact that appears within that section of
the text.

There is very little air on the Moon.

Moons

Earth's Moon Jupiter has moons.

The Moon's Surface The last Moon landing was in 1972.

Humans on the Moon

The biggest mountain on the Moon is
called Mons Huygens.

3. What was the name of the first person to walk on the Moon?
Neil Armstrong was the first person to walk on the Moon.

4. Read the section entitled The Moon's Path Around Earth. Find and copy the word that is
closest in meaning to ‘flattened’.
squashed

5. Fill in the missing words.

The different shapes the Moon appears in are called phases. These phases change every
night. The Moon doesn't have its own light.

6. How is the Moon different to Earth? Give two examples.

Accept any of the following:
• ● The Moon’s surface is covered in craters.●
• ● The Moon’s surface is covered in fine dust.
• ● The Moon has very little air.
• ● The Moon is smaller.

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 The Moon

7. Which section of the text do you think is the most important? Explain why you’ve chosen
that section.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I think the first paragraph called ‘Moons’ is most
important because it tells the reader what a moon is, which is important to know for
the rest of the text.
8. How would you have felt if you were the first person to walk on the moon? Give reasons for
your answer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: If I was the first person to walk on the moon I would
have been nervous because no one had been there before, so I wouldn’t know what I was
going to find. I would also be excited because it is a big achievement.

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 The Moon
Moons
A moon is a type of satellite that goes around a planet. Moons come in different sizes and
are mostly made up of rock and ice. In our Solar System, there are moons that go around
different planets, such as Mars and Jupiter. However, when we talk about ‘the Moon’, we
usually mean Earth’s Moon.

Earth’s Moon
The Moon is the only natural satellite that goes around Earth. It is about one-quarter
the size of Earth and is about 238,855 miles away from us. Unlike Earth, the Moon has
very little air and no weather or clouds because it only has a very thin atmosphere.
This means that it gets tremendously hot during the day and freezing cold at night.
The Moon’s surface has lots of holes (called craters), flat areas, mountains and valleys.
These have been made by past volcanic eruptions and by things crashing into it, such as
meteorites.
The Moon’s Path Around Earth
The Moon moves around Earth in a sort of
squashed oval path called an elliptical orbit.
It takes about 27 days for the Moon to finish
one whole trip around Earth. This period is
called a lunar month. As the Moon is moving
around Earth, it also spins on its own axis.
However, we always see the same side
of the Moon because it takes the
same amount of time to spin as it
does to go around Earth.

The Phases of the Moon

The different shapes of the Moon are called phases. These phases change Gibbous

each night. The Moon doesn’t have its own light; it shines because it reflects
the Sun’s light. The Sun always lights up half of the Moon but we can only Gibbous

see certain bits of that lit-up part from Earth.

There are eight major phases of the Moon. These are the new moon, waxing crescent,
first quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning
crescent. During a new moon, the side of the Moon facing Earth is dark. As the days
pass, more and more of the lit-up part becomes visible until we can see the whole of it
on a full moon. After that, the lit-up part gets smaller until we have a new moon again.

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 The Moon

How the Moon Affects the Sea

The Moon’s gravity affects the sea and causes the tides – the rise and fall of sea levels.
The Moon’s pull is strongest on the side of Earth facing it so it pulls the water towards
it and creates a high tide there.

The Moon’s Surface

The Moon’s surface is different from Earth’s. It is uninhabitable and covered in
a layer of fine dust. There are also lots of craters made by meteorite collisions.
You can also find mountains and valleys. The biggest mountain on the Moon is
called Mons Huygens and the deepest valley is called the South Pole–Aitken
Basin, which is also the largest impact crater confirmed in our Solar System.

Humans on the Moon

On 20th July 1969, the first people went to the Moon during
a mission called Apollo 11. Two American astronauts named
Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were the first to walk on the
Moon. They spent about two and a half hours outside their
spacecraft, collecting samples and doing tests. Since then,
there have been five more successful trips to the Moon,
with the last one in 1972.

Quick Facts
• Average day temperature: 107°C
• Average night temperature: -153°C
• Average distance from the Earth: 238,855 miles
• Diameter: Approximately 2159 miles
• Length of day: Approximately 709 hours

Glossary
axis: An imaginary line through the centre of something.
gravity: The force that pulls objects toward each other.
meteorites: Pieces of rock from outer space.
satellite: An object that orbits a larger object in space, such as a planet.

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 The Moon

Questions
1. Draw four lines to complete each fact.

The Moon is... meteorites and volcanic eruptions.

The different shapes the Moon

happened in 1972.
appears in...

The holes on the surface of a natural satellite.

the Moon were caused by…

The last Moon landing... are called phases.

2. Underline one word in the quotation below that suggests that the heat on the moon is
extreme.
This means that it gets tremendously hot during the day and freezing cold at night.

3. Read the paragraph titled The Moon's Surface.

Find and copy the word which tells us that it is impossible to live on the Moon.

4. What was the name of the first mission that successfully landed on the moon?

5. What effect does the Moon have on the sea?

6. Compare the surface of the moon to the surface of Earth using evidence from the text.

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 The Moon

7. How has the author organised the text to help the reader? Make reference to the text in
your answer.

8. Summarise what you have learnt about the Moon in 35 words or fewer.

9. Do you think there will ever be another mission to land on the Moon? Give reasons for your
answer

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 The Moon

Answers
1. Draw four lines to complete each fact.

The Moon is... meteorites and volcanic eruptions.

The different shapes the Moon

happened in 1972.
appears in...

The holes on the surface of a natural satellite.

the Moon were caused by…

The last Moon landing... are called phases.

2. Underline one word in the quotation below that suggests that the heat on the moon is
extreme.
This means that it gets tremendously hot during the day and freezing cold at night.
Award 1 mark for:
tremendously

3. Read the paragraph titled The Moon's Surface.

Find and copy the word which tells us that it is impossible to live on the Moon.
uninhabitable

4. What was the name of the first mission that successfully landed on the Moon?
The first mission that successfully landed on the Moon was called Apollo 11.

5. What effect does the Moon have on the sea?

The Moon affects the tides.

6. Compare the surface of the Moon to the surface of Earth using evidence from the text.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: The Moon has lots of craters whereas the Earth does not
but both the Earth and the Moon have mountains and valleys.

7. How has the author organised the text to help the reader? Make reference to the text in
your answer.

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 The Moon

Pupils’ own responses, such as: The author has organised the text into paragraphs with
subheadings, which makes it easier for the reader to find information.

8. Summarise what you have learnt about The Moon in 35 words or fewer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: The Moon is a natural satellite that orbits the Earth in
an elliptical shape. It can get extremely hot and cold because it has very little air and it
appears in phases.

9. Do you think there will ever be another mission to land on the Moon? Give reasons for your
answer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I don't think there will be another mission to land on
the Moon because the text describes it as uninhabitable, meaning that we couldn't live
on it. The text also says that the last mission was in 1972, which is a very long time ago
and if we were going to go back, we may have done so already.

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 The Moon
Moons
A moon is a natural satellite that orbits around a planet. Moons can come in various sizes
and are typically made up of rock and ice. There are moons in our Solar System that orbit
different planets, such as Mars and Jupiter. However, when we talk about ‘the Moon’, we are
usually referring to Earth’s Moon.

Earth’s Moon
The Moon is Earth’s only natural satellite. It is about one-quarter of the size of Earth
and is located approximately 238,855 miles away from us. The Moon has hardly any
protective atmosphere like the Earth’s, which means it has very little air so the moon has
no weather or clouds like we do. Therefore, it experiences extreme temperatures, ranging
from scorching hot during the day to freezing cold at night. The Moon’s surface is covered
in craters, plains, mountains and valleys formed by asteroid collisions and historic
volcanic activity.
The Moon’s Orbit
The Moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical (squashed
oval) path. It takes about 27 days for the Moon to
complete one orbit around Earth. This period is called
the lunar month. As the Moon orbits Earth, it also
rotates on its axis, which means it spins.
However, the Moon always shows us the same
face because it takes the same amount of
time to rotate as it does to orbit Earth.
This is why we always see the
same features on the Moon.
The Phases of the Moon
The phases of the Moon refer to the different appearances of the Moon as Gibbous

it orbits Earth. These phases change from night to night. The Moon doesn’t
produce its own light; it shines because it reflects the Sun’s light. The Sun
always illuminates one-half of the Moon but different portions of that Gibbous

illuminated half become visible from Earth.

There are eight major phases of the Moon, which include new moon, waxing crescent, first
quarter, waxing gibbous, full moon, waning gibbous, third quarter and waning crescent.
During the new moon, the side of the Moon that faces Earth is entirely in shadow. As the
days go by, the illuminated portion of the Moon becomes larger until it reaches the full
moon phase when the entire side facing Earth is lit. After that, the illuminated portion
gradually becomes smaller until we again have a new Moon.

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 The Moon

The Tides
Tides refer to the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the gravitational pull of the Moon on
Earth’s oceans. The Moon’s gravitational force is strongest on the side of Earth facing the
Moon, pulling the water towards it. As a result, we experience a high tide along this
side. On the opposite side of the Earth, there is also a high tide due to the Moon’s
pull on Earth but it is not as strong. The areas in between these two high tides
experience low tide.

The Surface of the Moon

The Moon’s surface is quite different from Earth’s. It is uninhabitable and baron.
It is covered in a layer of fine dust called regolith, which was created by the
impact of meteorites over millions of years breaking rocks into smaller and
smaller pieces. The Moon also has many craters formed by the collisions of those
same meteorites.
There are mountain ranges and valleys as well. The largest mountain on the Moon is
called Mons Huygens, while the deepest valley is called the South Pole–Aitken Basin,
which is also the largest impact crater confirmed in our Solar System.

The Moon Landings

On 20th July 1969, the first humans set foot on the Moon
during the Apollo 11 mission. American astronauts Neil
Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first people to walk
on the lunar surface. They spent about two and a half
hours outside their spacecraft, collecting samples and
conducting experiments. Since then, there have been
five more successful moon landings, with the last
one being in 1972.

Quick Facts
• Average day temperature: 107°C
• Average night temperature: -153°C
• Average distance from the Earth: 238,855 miles
• Diameter: Approximately 2159 miles
• Length of day: Approximately 709 hours

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 The Moon

Questions
1. What materials are moons usually made up of? Tick two.

rock

plastic

dust

ice

2. Number the phases of the Moon from 1-5 in the order they happen. The first one has been
done for you.

full moon

third moon

waning crescent

1 waxing gibbous

waning crescent

3. Read the section titled Moons. What does the word ‘various’ mean in this section?

4. Read the section titled The Surface of the Moon. Find and copy one word that tells us that
meteorites once crashed into the surface of the Moon.

5. Fill in the missing words.

The Moon's surface is quite different from Earth's. It is uninhabitable and baron. It is
covered in a layer of fine dust called , which was created by the
impact of over millions of years breaking rocks into smaller
and smaller pieces.

6. According to the text, why do we always see the same side of the Moon?

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 The Moon

7. What causes the extreme temperatures on the Moon? Use evidence from the text to support
your answer.

8. Explain why we see the Moon appears as different shapes in the night sky. Use information
from the text to support your answer.

9. Why do you think that there hasn’t been another Moon landing since 1972? Use evidence
from the text to support your answer.

10. Compare the features of the Moon and Earth by completing the table below.

Feature Moon Earth

atmosphere

surface

size

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 The Moon

Answers
1. What materials are moons usually made up of? Tick two.

rock

plastic

dust

ice

2. Number the phases of the Moon from 1-5 in the order they happen. The first one has been
done for you.

2 full moon

4 third quarter

5 waning crescent

1 waxing gibbous

3 waning gibbous

3. Read the section titled Moons. What does the word ‘various’ mean in this section?
Any acceptable answer, such as: different; a range of; many; several.

4. Read the section titled The Surface of the Moon. Find and copy one word that tells us that
meteorites once crashed into the surface of the Moon.
impact

5. Fill in the missing words.

The Moon's surface is quite different from Earth's. It is uninhabitable and baron. It is
covered in a layer of fine dust called regolith, which was created by the impact
of meteorites over millions of years breaking rocks into smaller and smaller pieces.

6. According to the text, why do we always see the same side of the Moon?
Pupils’ own responses, such as: The Moon takes the same amount of time to rotate as it
does to orbit the Earth, meaning it is always facing us in the same direction.

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 The Moon
7. What causes the extreme temperatures on the Moon? Use evidence from the text to support
your answer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: The Moon has very little air, which means that it has no
protection from the rays of the Sun. This means that in light areas it reaches very high
temperatures and in dark areas, it is extremely cold.

8. Explain why we see the moon appear as different shapes in the night sky. Use information
from the text to support your answer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: The Moon appears as different shapes in the night sky
because we only see the part of the moon that is lit up by the Sun. As the Moon and
Earth change position, the amount of illuminated Moon we see changes. These are
called the phases of the Moon.

9. Why do you think that there hasn’t been another Moon landing since 1972? Use evidence
from the text to support your answer.
Pupils’ own responses, such as: I don't think there has been another Moon landing
since 1972 because there have been six missions in total. The text describes the moon as
uninhabitable and baron, which suggests that there is nothing else to be seen and we
might have learnt all we can about the surface of the Moon.

10. Compare the features of the Moon and Earth by completing the table below.

Feature Moon Earth

• The Moon has hardly any • The Earth has a protective

protective atmosphere. atmosphere.
• The Moon has very little • The Earth has air.
atmosphere air. • The Earth has weather and
• The Moon has no weather clouds.
or clouds.

• The Moon has craters. • The Earth doesn't have

• The Moon is baron and craters.
uninhabitable. • Things live on the Earth.
surface • The Moon is covered in • The Earth is not covered in
dust. dust.
• The Earth also has mountains
and valleys.
• The Moon is about a • The Earth is four times bigger
size quarter of the size of the than the Moon.
Earth.

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